A space of one's own...

I've been meaning to write a post about studio space for a long time. I've been yearning to have a studio for many years. I have what I call a work room in my house, but I didn't really think of it as a studio. Recently an opportunity came up for me to rent a studio space in an artist's collective. I really couldn't afford it. So I decided to call my work room my studio. It has made a real difference to how I think of it. With a bit of judicious rearranging, a few new shelves and an easel it really feels like a studio now, even it it's a small one.

Here's the far end, it's where most of the action takes place. It's quite small but I have all my paints and pencils to hand. The ones I am currently working on are out. It think it's essential to have things as accessible as possible so that it's easy to start working. It's like practising music. If I put my instrument back in its case then I won't play it. If it's out and I pass by it I will play for a few minutes every so often and so more practise takes place.

 

Here's a detail of the work bench. I've got it at a height that means I can stand at it or use a high stool. Being able to stand at an art table is great, it makes for more dynamic work, but for careful work sitting is better. I have more control then.

Having a dedicated space for doing art is really important. For me, it also needs to be kept clear of any other interference. Other people are welcome only when invited for example. I personally need a lot of silence when I work, although I will occasionally listen to BBC Radio 4 but only when I'm doing tasks such as painting paper for collage, or gessoing paper or boards. Every so often it gets a drastic tidy, but when I'm really working hard things go all over the place, the photos show it in this state. Mid working.